Update [2007-3-3 20:58:36 by River City Rage]:Just for the record, this kid was a top 5 punt returner in 06, so maybe this is the Hester effect, not the Jags solution to their WR quandry
Is this guy the key to our Wide Receiver Problem? The Florida Times Union reports that we've signed Dennis Northcut to a 5 year deal worth about 3.5 million per year. Oh yeah, there might be a 4.5 million dollar signing bonus.
Who is Dennis Northcut you ask? I'd reccomend asking Dawgs By Nature for more specific insights, but here's what I've dug up.
Next to nothing, actually. He's been in a fairly inept offense, returns punts and has scored 11 touchdowns since being drafted in the 2nd round in 2000. His numbers decrease just as Charlie Frye and Braylon Edwards arrive. Maybe he just dosen't click with the new cadre of teammates. Either way, as I browse the internets, people tell me he's fast but don't have much to back it up. I hope they're right.
OK, so the Jags were looking for a speedy guy to sit in the slot and draw away that 8th man in the box. Opens up the Run and hopefully the pass.
I'd like to stand on my soapbox and say we could have gone after someone better, but who the heck knows. This seems to be a bit out of character for the Jags as we don't tend to sign 29 year olds who've not demonstrated any sign of being worth 17 million dollars. But I'm not a scout either.
Something dosen't seem right about this signing though. Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcut, Ernest Wilford and whomever we draft in the 2nd or 3rd round...I don't know that I see a legitimate change in our Offensive Situation.
Here's another question. Will we see less of our two TE sets now that we have a devoted slot guy? Does this mean that TE Marcades Lewis isn't developing as much of a pass-catching threat as we hoped he would (with a first round draft pick)?
I like free agency to answer questions, all I have now are more and more things to wonder about.
Not gonna lie, if we were gonna get a WR, I really had my hopes for Curtis.
-Chris